Definition of knockabout
1 : suitable for rough use knockabout clothing
2a : being noisy and rough : boisterous knockabout gamesb : characterized by boisterous antics and often extravagant burlesque knockabout comedy
3 of a sailing vessel : having a simplified rig marked by absence of bowsprit and topmast a knockabout sloop
knockabout
nounPeople Are Reading
Examples of knockabout in a Sentence
He lived a knockabout life in the city.
a knockabout game of football in the mud
Recent Examples of knockabout from the Web
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Though thematically vague, thinly plotted and without a reliably sympathetic soul to cling to, the movie has a mutinous energy and an absurd, knockabout charm; even its violence is more quirky than brutal.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'knockabout.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of knockabout
1880
KNOCKABOUT Defined for English Language Learners
knockabout
playDefinition of knockabout for English Language Learners
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: noisy or rough often in a silly or amusing way
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